Till We Meet Again
by tearsofbreakingglass
Summary: Hungary and Prussia celebrate her divorce to Austria before it happens. The divorce brings the end to the major roadblock in their happiness. Things should be easier once it's over, right?


_October 1918, Budapest. _

"You plan on doing what?"

Prussia felt his body humming with electricity. Ostensibly, this visit was about how the war against Italy was carrying on. Not that it mattered much. They both understood that they were in a race against time, that both of their offenses were collapsing as the American entrance had provided more than enough to keep the Allies going. If it was any other nation, he would've called off the meeting and stayed in Berlin.

But it was her. It was always her.

Now Hungary stood staring at him, her green eyes wide and a laugh escaping through her lips. "I'm going to get a divorce." She laughed again. The prospect of her future alone sending relief shuddering throughout her body. "No matter where the chips fall, I'm not staying married to him a moment longer."

When was the last time he felt this happy? Before the war began, before he was sent running to-and-fro between eastern and western fronts, before he could never wash the stench of death off his skin. The misery of the last four years fell away in an instant. If this was all Gilbert had to show for the war, goddamn it, he was going to revel in it. This couldn't be taken away by Alfred and his men or by the renewed spirit of Arthur and Francis on the edge of his border. He couldn't wipe the stupid grin off his face even if he tried. "Please, Erzsi, you have to let me be there when you tell him." This was what it must be like to be high. This was the elusive shot of opium he'd been chasing for centuries. "He'll be crushed. I'll hide, please, I need to see."

Erzsébet hesitated for a beat. It was so subtle as to be almost undetectable. Almost because he knew her too well, knew her like he knew himself. "No." Soft, yet firm. "If you're there and he figures it out, he'll think I'm doing this for you. He'll completely disregard why. I can't have that." She shook her hair, a soft veil of hair bouncing in her face. "I _need_ him to know I'm doing this for me. I will not have him think I'm doing this so I can become another man's property." Sensing Gilbert's slight hurt, she came over to him and kissed his cheek. "But I promise, when I tell you how he reacted, I'll give you every detail. Even act it out if you want."

It was something. And, really, he understood her reasoning even if meant he missed out. Prussia tilted her head up to him and kissed her softly. The surge of excitement had returned to his body. He was drunk off his giddiness. No more Roderich to interfere, to try and shatter their happiness. She was his and his alone. This was all he ever wanted. A nagging voice taunted him. If this was all he ever wanted then where was she hiding in Poland, in Schleswig-Holstein, in Elsass-Lothringen? He brushed those thoughts aside. _Those_ were the wants of a nation; _this_ – to have her in his arms and know that there was nothing more to come between them – was the want of a man.

Gilbert picked her up in his arms and spun them around, an uncontrollable laugh bellowing from his lips. He bet that, right now, he could soar higher than the eagle on his flag. "I love you so much. Through it all, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." He set her down on the sofa and Erzsébet didn't know whether she was dizzy from the spinning or the joy and adoration rolling off him in waves. He knelt on one knee, kissing her hand. "My heart belongs to you; this is all I've ever dreamt about."

Something gnawed at the back of Hungary's mind, but she disregarded it. He was an intoxicating presence. She wanted to enjoy this with him and wasn't she happy for the same reasons as he? Wouldn't it be nice to no longer have to hide her love for him in the shadows or have their relationship whispered about in every court on the continent? Divorce would gift her freedom, yes, but didn't it also grant the ability to be as public or private in her affections as she chose? She cradled his cheek in her hand, a warmth spreading throughout her body. "We can be together now. No holds back. I can share my heart and all my love with you." She felt drunk off her bliss, despite her best intentions to remain composed. She couldn't stop giggling. "There's nothing between us now."

Her lips crashed against his and, driven by instinct, they were wound tightly together. Neither could stop smiling like an idiot. This was fantasy realized, a wish fulfilled.

Gilbert had somehow climbed – or maybe he was pulled? Their movements had been a blur – up on the sofa besides her. Sitting in his lap, her emerald eyes bore into him and he swore he'd never seen her so beautiful. His heart swelled with thoughts of the future teasing him. "Let's get married. Once it's finalized and everything." He couldn't stop himself. His delight made him vulnerable. "Don't say we can't because we _can._ I'm not trying to annex you. I never want to wake up without you by my side again."

"What will Ludwig think if we run off and elope?" She didn't realize how serious he was being.

"Who?" He blinked a few times, remembering everyone outside of their little bubble. "Ludwig! He won't mind, he adores you. You helped me raise him, didn't you? If you're worried about his feelings, we can invite him. Bring Feliks too! Bring anyone you want, as long as I get to see you at the altar."

Realization settled in. Erzsébet couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I thought you didn't believe in marriage. Haven't you always said it's a broken institution and a waste of money?"

"Wouldn't you feel the same if your only prospects were your weak little cousins and siblings? Who gets excited about marrying Bavaria or Saxony!" Prussia gagged, displeasure at those proposals by his leaders coming to mind. His expression softened once his gaze settled on her. "You're the exception. You've always been my exception, Erzsi."

Curse her for having a heart. Curse the damn thing for melting every time he looked at her like a love-sick fool or spoke with such adoration dripping from his voice. Her heart jumped, leaping at the chance for a happily ever after. Her brain sternly refused, logic beginning to reign her back in. "Gil, we can't. That's not how our lives are allowed to work."

He waved that away, having considered it already and finding it to be false. "Sure, if I'm asking you as Hungary. I would never, your people are more trouble than they're worth." If anyone else had said that, she would've taken it as an insult. Coming from him, Hungary took it as praise and chuckled. "I'm asking you to marry _me_, Erzsébet. There's nothing stopping us as individuals. Please." Her breath caught in her throat. There was an intensity she'd never seen before in his eyes. "You and me, forever."

Were there any rules against this? There had to be, otherwise every other nation would've tried it at some point with their respected partner. She wanted to consult France as this was the kind of thing he would know. But there was a war going on and, unless she felt like braving hails of machine gun fire, she would have to divine the answer for herself. Her heart nagged at her. Why would this be so wrong? A marriage between man and woman had never been outlawed. Didn't she deserve to be happy? They were each so sure of their feelings, there could be no harm in this. The way he was looking at her, Erzsébet could never remember another man having such devotion in his eyes. "You and me, forever." A breathy whisper.

An onslaught of kisses until they both were out of breath. "Spain!" Gilbert panted out. "That's where we can go. Antonio's great, he won't run his mouth off to everyone." He traced his thumb down her jawline, the faintest of smiles on his face. "It can be as private as we want it. I love you, Erzsi." All he wanted was to repeat those words forever. His love was overwhelming, everyone needed to know. He would stand atop the Brandenburg Gate and yell it to all the passersby, stand in the middle of London Bridge and proclaim it to the Thames, travel to America so even those damn _Amis_ across the sea would know about it.

This was absurd. Erzsébet was living for it. "What about the honeymoon? We've already been to Venice together." That little voice wouldn't stop talking. It kept growing louder, but she refused to listen. Since when did it ever hurt to indulge?

"I picked where we're getting married, only fair you pick the honeymoon." There were no such troubles in Gilbert's mind. He had never felt stronger. If there were only a line of British and American infantrymen before him now, he'd be able to mow them down within seconds.

"Does everything have to be decided right now?" She pulled him close, her lips brushing against his ears. "I think a celebration is in order."

Eyes opened wide, hitched breathing. She had such powers over him. "Celebrating. Of course." A devilish grin. He swept her up in his arms, bridal style, and carried her to the bedroom. Such a momentous event deserved festivities that lasted long into the next morning.

_February 1919, Budapest. _

Gilbert was practically skipping up the steps to Erzsébet's home, he couldn't contain himself. On his way over from the train station, he'd dropped by a florist to pick up a brilliant bouquet of yellow and red tulips. "I need to believe that I'd never be caught in this foolish but fond complication." He was singing in his raspy voice before her door. He kept singing as he entered, the action coming from the heart.

All the racquet caught Hungary off guard. If she hadn't known better, she never would've guessed he lost a war so recently. She sat her book down on the coffee table, trying to hide her surprise at her guest. "What are you doing here, Gil?"

"What do you mean? I sent you a telegram telling you I was coming." He noticed her incredulous staring at the flowers. He extended them out to her, feeling a blush prickling his cheeks and cursing his pale skin for making his sudden onslaught of nerves so visible. "I picked these up on the way over. It seemed like a nice idea in the moment." The last time he was this embarrassed giving her a gift was back when they still called him Teuton and she thought she was a boy.

"Right! You did, I'm sorry." She sniffed them for it gave her something to do. Besides, they were lovely, and it would be rude to not show her appreciation. She winced when Gilbert sat so close to her and winced again when he pulled her in tight against his shoulder.

Unfortunately, he wasn't as obtuse as she liked to believe. The atmosphere in the room grew even more stifling. "Did I do something wrong?" He tilted her head up to look at him. Erzsébet stubbornly refused to meet his eyes. "What's bothering you?"

"I didn't really expect to see you. I figured you would be too busy to visit for some time." She fixated on a landscape painting behind his head. When had she bought it? "There's been a lot happening." It sounded so lame, she knew it, but couldn't stop herself from digging herself further in her grave.

"When am I not busy? You know I've always had time for you and Ludwig. Why would things change now?" His good mood could not be so easily dissuaded. These last four years had been tumultuous and the immediate aftershocks of peace no better. He could understand her unease even if it wasn't his own.

They sat in delicate silence, both trying to figure out what was wrong with the other. Erzsébet had the skirt of her dress bunched in her hands. "How long do you plan on staying?"

That knocked the wind out of him. "The weekend like we were doing before the war. You're living here again full-time; I didn't think this would be such a problem!" Gilbert began a concerted effort in his mind to keep a level head. He was determined to enjoy his time with her, no matter how bizarre her behavior.

"Oh, that's a long stay."

Gilbert's eye twitched. "We've been together since the sixteen-hundreds! I've stayed here with you for longer! You've stayed at my homes for longer!" He caught himself yelling and took a deep breath. In, out. This would be a lovely weekend, goddammit. He tried a different tactic. "What's bothering you, _Liebling?"_

Her refusal to look at him fully was irritating. "Nothing at all. I've never been better." She flashed him a smile that was meant to be convincing but came across as deeply unsettling. Seeing his lack of conviction fueled her own frustrations. "Maybe I wanted to spend a weekend by myself, did you consider that? I value my free time."

"I haven't seen you since November!"

"Don't snap at me, you asshole!" She pushed him away with her elbow. Her eyes finally met his, burning with an emotion Gilbert couldn't quite define.

"You're the one snapping at me! I just want to know what the hell is wrong with you!" No, Gilbert didn't want to turn this into a screaming match where neither one of them would win. He rose, needing some distance to collect himself. "What's got you so mad at me? You're treating me like I'm Roderich." He snickered at his own joke until he realized he was the only one laughing.

Her eyes narrowed. "Really? Such maturity, Gilbert. Can you only reach the lowest fruits or are you simply lazy?" Hungary crossed her arms, silently challenging him to go on.

Prussia finally discovered a challenge he could ignore. "It was a stupid joke, I wasn't thinking. When do I ever think?" Another weak attempt at humor misfiring. He sat before her on the coffee table, taking one of her hands in his. "I'm sorry, I really am. But I'm struggling to figure out what I've done wrong this time." He brought his hand to her lips. "I love you; I want to spend time with you. If that's a crime, then you should've thrown me in jail a long time ago."

Her expression softened. "You're right, I'm not being much better." Erzsébet bit her lip, considering her words carefully. She couldn't obfuscate for any longer. "I've been doing a lot of thinking recently."

"That's good. Things turn out better for us when you're the one doing the thinking." She hated how reassuring that easy smile of his was and the comfort his thumb tracing circles in her palm provided. It was enough to make her almost lose her nerve.

_Almost._ "'Better' is probably a subjective term this time around." She averted her eyes from his face to the floor, studying the ornate patterns of her carpet. It was one of the only artifacts she had of her time with the Turks. "I want to be alone for now. It'll be good for me."

"That's fine. I can stay out of your way for a few hours. I'll go take a walk. It'll be nice to see what's changed." She shook her head slightly. "Not what you meant, Erzsi?"

She braced for impact. "No. Alone as in we don't see each other for a while." A sharp inhale. She forced herself to continue. "A lot happened for me over the last few months. It's been difficult getting everything set up on my own, both the personal and political. And it wasn't exactly like the divorce was smooth sailing. There were…a lot of words said." She tried to keep some excitement from seeping into her voice as she finally had the courage to look him in the eyes. "Besides! I haven't been on my own in so long, I want to figure out who I am without _him_ standing over my shoulder. I need to know how I feel about everything. Stand on my own feet and see what it all means."

All pretenses of a wonderful weekend together flew out the window the more she spoke. "You can't be serious." He started fidgeting with his hands, nervous energy building up within him. "How do you not know? This is what you, what _we,_ have always wanted! This has been the dream!" His voice grew louder, filling up the room. He began laughing without any humor. "My God. We're really doing this again." He stormed up and began pacing the length of the room. "Why are we always having this conversation, for Christ's sake! What is so fucking hard about figuring this out?"

"Excuse me!" If he wanted to do this, Erzsébet decided, then she was more than happy to go toe-to-toe with him. "I figured you out of everyone else in the world would be able to have a little sympathy for my situation and my emotional wellbeing. I guess if you don't get what you want then what's the point in trying to be a good guy?" She folded her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes in disgust. "You're all the same."

"What I want is to be happy with you, but that's apparently too damn much!" Gilbert ran a hand down his face, trying to rid himself of some frustration. What a nightmare. He should've stayed home and listened to Ludwig prattle on about writing a constitution. This was draining. "This is like being back to square one. Help me out here. Would you say this is more like how you were acting when we were kids and you couldn't admit you had a crush on me or before you got married and wouldn't admit you were in love with me?" A bitter laugh escaped him. "Why do I like them stubborn? You can be honest with me, Erzsi. If you were only with me to piss Roddy off, it's fine. I get it but stop wasting my time." She'd never heard him sound so defeated.

"More like _after_ I got married and wouldn't admit I love you." Her attempt at humor only awarded with the faintest of smiles. "Gil, come over here." Once he obliged, she took his hand and kissed it. "That's never been the only reason I've been with you." A pause. "Though it certainly helped. Look, I'm not doing this to be cruel, but I'm doing it for myself. I need some time to think about everything – where I've been, what I'm going to do next, how to get what I want and be happy. I want to come up with those answers for myself and not come up with the ones that'll make another person happiest. Even if that person's you." He'd never seen her so excited for the future.

"But you promised. You said-" he cut himself off. Finishing the thought felt too childish, too selfish.

"I did, didn't I? If you promised me the world, it would feel cruel if you yanked it away from me suddenly too. It's not forever. I just need time." She kissed his hand again and he felt some life being restored back to him. "But, if you can't handle waiting any longer, I won't blame you for walking out that door and never turning back. Though, I would miss you dearly."

Gilbert knew he was being manipulated. He wasn't born yesterday. "You can't get rid of me that easily." How could he resist? "If it was anyone else, I'd be gone. But it's you." It was always her.

Erzsébet smiled, the corners of her mouth reaching her eyes. "You shouldn't be so nervous. We always find our way back together. You know that better than anyone." A quick roll of the eyes. "I don't think we'll ever be able to get rid of each other this easy." Overcome, he leaned in to kiss her only to be met with a finger pressed against his lips. Her mood shifted from loving to melancholic in a flash. "Don't. I want to keep my resolve."

"I love you." The words escaped him before he could quash them.

"I know."

"Oh, dear God. We're back to that stage too!" Gilbert swallowed back his remaining bitterness. He forced on a smile. "I'm sorry, but you can't expect me to not be a bit upset over this whole thing." He looked at his watch. "I should probably head back to the station before there's no more trains to Berlin. I don't want to be stuck here all night."

"You're here, just sleep over. Don't be ridiculous." Hungary rolled her eyes for real this time. _Now_ he really was being overdramatic.

"If I stay, do I have to sleep in the guest room and act as if we've only been the _closest_ of friends for the last three, four hundred years?" Her silence was all the answer he needed. Prussia smirked. "Exactly! I'd rather be home, get sloppy drunk, cry my eyes out, and have Ludwig make me breakfast in the afternoon." Her eyebrows furrowed in worry. "I'm kidding! Not really. Don't worry about me, I'm an adult I can handle myself." He leaned in and, realizing he couldn't go for her lips, kissed her forehead. He lingered there, not wanting to leave her. "Figure everything out soon."

She watched him gather his things, the familiar ache in her heart. She took in the smell of the flowers, this time appreciating their beauty in full. "Wait, Gil!" His hand hovered above the doorknob. "You'll see me again before you know it."

"Another promise so soon?" She could hear his smile and felt it linger in the doorway once he left.

This was for the best, she told herself. For her sake, it would have to be.


End file.
